FINAL SCORE: Vermont 68, Dartmouth 52
HANOVER, N.H. – Vermont (5-7) extended its winning streak to three games with a 68-52 victory over non-conference foe Dartmouth (4-6) on Tuesday night at Leede Arena. Aaron Deloney produced a team-high 17 points for the Catamounts.
 
RELATED LINKS
Box Score
Photos
 
COACH'S QUOTE
"Another really good defensive performance stacked on top of the Merrimack game from Sunday," Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach John Becker said. "That's a really encouraging sign for us. I thought offensively we started to move the ball better and got back to cutting, got some easy ones. We got a post presence from Perry Smith Jr. tonight, which is something we desperately need. I thought, their big was a good player and obviously a focal point of their offense and I thought we battled them all night. And, Sam Alamutu and Robin Duncan, those two guys do so much dirty work for us and so much stat stuffing, you know, those two guys continued to fight well tonight."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Catamounts and Big Green traded baskets in the early minutes with Dylan Penn posting six points as the non-conference foes were tied 8-8 in the first 5:16.
• Vermont opened up a 12-point lead with 7:09 left in the half after Duncan's jumper that put the Cats up 24-12. Deloney scored seven points off the bench to lead a 16-4 run for the Catamounts. UVM was 5-for-10 from the field during the 7:21 burst.
• Dartmouth brought the Vermont lead back to single digits on a three-pointer by Ryan Cornish with 3:50 to play, but the Catamounts responded with a 13-0 run down the stretch to take a 41-21 lead into the break. UVM made 6-of-7 field goal attempts, including Deloney's step-back jumper at the buzzer.
• Vermont's lead continued to grow in the second half, as the Catamounts doubled the Big Green 20-10 in the first 11:15 of the frame. Kam Gibson and Finn Sullivan led the UVM run with seven points each. Alamutu added six points for the Cats who led 61-31 with 8:45 remaining.
• Dartmouth was able to cut the deficit to under 20 points down the stretch with Jayden Williams sinking a three on the Big Green's final possession.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Becker increased his UVM win total to 262 with the victory. The Catamount bench boss needs only two wins to tie Tom Brennan for the program record.
• The Catamounts shot 51.9% (28-for-54) from the field and 40.0% (6-for-15) from beyond the arc. Vermont's defense held Dartmouth to 38.2% (21-for-55) shooting, including 20.0% (4-for-20) from deep.
• Deloney's 17 points came on 6-of-12 shooting from the floor and a 3-for-6 clip from long range. The senior pulled in five rebounds and recorded one steal on the night.
• Penn was also in double figures, producing 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting. The UVM guard made both attempts from the line and recorded a season-high two blocks.
• Duncan racked up a season-high seven assists on the night. The fifth-year senior also came down with six rebounds and scored four points.
• Alamutu was a force on the glass for Vermont, pulling in a career-high eight rebounds in 20 minutes of play. Seven of Alamutu's eight boards came on the defensive end. The redshirt-first-year tallied eight points on 4-of-6 shooting. Smith Jr. also recorded eight points, making 4-of-8 attempts from the floor.
• With today's win, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to COTS, the Committee on Temporary Shelter, as part of the Cats Win, Community Wins initiative. Since the campaign's inauguration in 2017, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group has donated over $72,000 to local non-profits.

UP NEXT
The Catamounts return to action on Saturday (Dec. 10) when they visit Colgate in Hamilton, N.Y. Tip-off against the Raiders is slated for 12 p.m. ET at Reid Athletic Center, and will broadcast live on ESPN+. Fans can listen to the action for free on the Vermont Sports Network, from Learfield on The Game, which will air on 97.1 FM in Burlington, 105.9 FM in Plattsburgh, and 960 AM around the rest of the region. The radio broadcast is also available via the Varsity Network App with Brian McLaughlin on the call.
 
McGee Automotive Group is the presenting sponsor of Vermont men's basketball